Host Scott Lollar is a 35-year veteran of the painting industry and founder of Consulting4Contractors. The 'Success Beyond The Brush' Podcast serves as a touchpoint to painting contractors who have hustled, sacrificed, and worked hard to get their business to where it is today. Now, you need the guidance, expertise, experience, and team to make it into the multi-million-dollar company of your dreams. You'll hear stories and interviews from "Brothers of the Brush" and "Sisters of the Sprayer" who have been where you are and are charting a new course for their company's success. Listen in and go beyond $1,000,000!
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Contractors frequently blame their time-management problems on being busy. In reality, many of those problems begin with unclear scopes, incomplete job preparation, poorly defined roles, and owners who remain involved in every decision.
Rick Holtz joins the conversation to explain how H.J. Holtz & Son has built a team of approximately 65 people without requiring every customer issue, employee problem, or operational question to reach the owner.
Scott and Rick discuss how contractors can reduce time leaks before a project begins, determine when additional operational support is needed, and stop taking problem-solving opportunities away from their employees.
In This Episode
Why starting projects before they are ready creates constant emergencies
How material runs and unclear scopes quietly destroy profitability
Why four active projects may be the limit for an unsupported project manager
How an office-based operations assistant can support field project managers
How detailed notes and photographs improve the customer experience
The “process and role” filter for deciding what deserves your attention
Why owners should not automatically handle every customer complaint
How solving every problem can prevent employees from developing
Why important, non-urgent work must be protected on your calendar
How owners can support field employees without becoming involved in every job
Why becoming a better leader begins with working on yourself
Key Takeaway
Your company cannot become less dependent on you until you stop rewarding dependency.
Create better systems, define who owns each responsibility, protect time for future-focused work, and coach your employees through problems instead of immediately solving those problems for them.
Most contractors know how much revenue a project generated. Far fewer can say exactly how many dollars—and what percentage—they actually made on that project.
Without accurate job costing, business owners are forced to make decisions based on feelings, incomplete reports, or money in the bank. A company may look busy and profitable while missed labor, employee burden, equipment rentals, dumpsters, lodging, subcontractor changes, and other direct costs quietly eat away at its margins.
In this episode of Success Beyond the Brush, Scott Lollar explains how to calculate a project’s true gross profit by subtracting its cost of goods sold from its revenue. He breaks down what should be included in job costs, how employee labor burden differs from subcontractor labor, and why seemingly small missing expenses can produce dangerously inaccurate results.
Scott also discusses gross-profit benchmarks for residential repaint contractors, why commercial contractors operate under a different model, and how job-cost data can reveal more than whether an individual project won or lost money.
When projects are categorized by service, salesperson, project manager, crew leader, subcontractor, and lead source, contractors can identify which parts of the business are actually producing profit—and which ones only feel successful.
Key Topics Covered
What job costing means and why it matters
Comparing estimated costs with actual project results
Calculating gross profit in dollars and percentages
A contractor hires four new overhead employees and then asks a critical question:
“Can I afford all these positions?”
Without a real budget, the only honest answer may be, “I don’t know.”
In this solo episode of Success Beyond the Brush, Scott Lollar explains how contractors can create an accurate financial roadmap based on their actual revenue, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, seasonality, and growth plans.
Scott walks through his process for exporting financial history from QuickBooks, building the initial budget in a spreadsheet, projecting monthly revenue, and using percentages of revenue to model labor, materials, subcontractors, and other direct job costs.
He also explains how to test future decisions before committing to them. Whether you’re considering a project manager, salesperson, administrator, new shop, or another major expense, your budget should show how that decision will affect the bottom line.
The goal isn’t to create a document that gets filed away. The goal is to create a working financial roadmap that can be reviewed throughout the year, compared against actual performance, and adjusted before a small problem becomes a financial emergency.
In This Episode, We Cover
Why having money in the bank does not necessarily mean the company is performing well
The difference between cost of goods sold and operating expenses
Labor burden, including payroll taxes, insurance, workers’ compensation, benefits, PTO, and retirement contributions
How to export monthly financial history from QuickBooks into Excel
Why percentages of revenue are essential when planning labor and direct costs
SBTB Ep. 24 | The Profit Killers: Navigating Scope Creep and Change Orders
How one unapproved jobsite decision can erase an entire job’s margin
Why crew leaders need to treat the work order as the source of truth
The difference between great customer service and giving work away
Why exclusions are just as important as inclusions
How to precondition customers for unknown conditions
Why contractors should document change orders before doing the work
How to train crews to talk about added work without sounding combative
Why time-and-material agreements can create customer frustration
How photos, notes, and detailed proposals protect the company
Why “clear is kind” applies to customers, employees, and profit margins
Key Takeaways
1. Scope creep usually starts small
One extra patch, one added coat, one unplanned repair, or one customer request may seem harmless. But when those little extras pile up, they can turn a profitable job into a losing job.
2. The work order needs to be clear enough for the crew to execute
Scott explains that a properly written estimate should include enough scope detail, photos, notes, inclusions, and exclusions that a crew leader or project manager can understand the job without needing a second sales conversation.
SBTB Ep. 23 | Can Painting Contractors Actually Make Money Working With General Contractors?
****************************** General contractors often get a bad reputation in the painting industry. Many painting contractors have dealt with slow payments, unrealistic schedules, disorganized jobsites, scope creep, and pressure to do extra work without approval.
But does that mean GC work should be avoided altogether?
In this episode of Success Beyond The Brush, Scott Lollar is joined by C4C coach and Holtz & Son owner Rick Holtz for a practical conversation about how painting contractors can build profitable relationships with general contractors.
Rick shares how his company began working with remodelers and builders as part of a broader strategy to protect territory, create year-round work, and serve high-value neighborhoods more consistently. He also explains the hard lessons learned along the way, including a costly $11,000 mistake that reinforced the importance of reading plans carefully and clearly defining exclusions.
Scott and Rick discuss what makes GC work different from residential repaint work, why communication and trust are essential, and how contractors can avoid getting trapped by unclear scope, rushed timelines, and delayed payments.
In This Episode
Scott and Rick discuss:
Why not all general contractors should be stereotyped as bad clients
How GC work can help painting companies smooth out seasonal peaks and valleys
Why trust is the most important part of the GC/subcontractor relationship
SBTB Ep. 22 | Stop Managing on Feelings: How to Actually Measure Your Team
In this episode of Success Beyond The Brush, Scott Lollar sits down with Rick Holtz to break down what it really takes to manage your management team effectively.
Most contractors rely on gut feelings when evaluating their team—but that’s where things start to break down.
Scott and Rick unpack how to move from emotional leadership to measurable leadership by focusing on clear expectations, consistent follow-up, and honest communication.
They also dive into the uncomfortable—but necessary—side of leadership: having hard conversations, addressing performance issues, and knowing when it’s time to move on from someone.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about how your team is actually performing—or struggled to hold people accountable—this episode gives you a practical framework to lead with clarity and confidence.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Why managing based on “feelings” leads to poor leadership decisions
The importance of metrics + feedback from the field
How to ask better questions to uncover real team performance
Why clear expectations without follow-up destroys culture
How to structure difficult conversations without creating defensiveness
The role of emotional intelligence in leadership
Why most team issues are actually process problems, not people problems
How to know when it’s time to let someone go
SBTB Ep. 21 | Warranties, Callbacks & Profit Leaks (What Most Contractors Get Wrong)
Episode 40
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 • Duration 23:38
Springtime brings more than just busy schedules—it brings callbacks, warranty claims, and profit leaks.
In this episode, Mark Black and Scott Lollar break down the real truth about warranties in the painting industry—what they should cover, what they shouldn’t, and how poor systems can quietly drain your bottom line.
They discuss:
Why most warranty issues actually start in the sales process
How vague contracts open the door to customer abuse
The dangers of “no questions asked” warranties
Why callbacks are profit killers, not just inconveniences
The importance of final walkthroughs and “punch-as-you-go” systems
How to properly set expectations for long-term results
Why goodwill matters—but boundaries matter more
If you’ve ever felt frustrated by warranty calls or callbacks that shouldn’t exist, this episode gives you a practical framework to fix it—without hurting your customer experience.
SBTB Ep. 20 | The Forgotten Phase of Customer Experience: Pre-Production Mistakes Contractors Make
Episode 39
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 • Duration 37:07
Many contractors excel at sales or production… but fail in the space in between.
In this episode of Success Beyond The Brush, Mark Black and Scott Lollar discuss one of the most overlooked opportunities to create a premium customer experience: the pre-production phase.
After the contract is signed but before the project begins, many companies unintentionally create frustration, uncertainty, and doubt due to lack of communication and unclear expectations.
Mark and Scott break down how contractors can:
Maintain trust after the sale
Reduce customer anxiety during long scheduling timelines
Build systems that create a “white-glove” experience
Improve referrals and repeat business
Eliminate common pre-production breakdowns
The reality is simple: customers don’t just evaluate your craftsmanship — they evaluate your communication.
If your company wants to stand out as a premium service provider, your pre-production systems must be just as strong as your sales and production systems.
Key Topics Covered
Why the period between sale and production is critical
The psychology of customer uncertainty
How silence damages trust
Building a structured pre-production workflow
Using CRM automations to improve communication
Setting expectations with timelines and touchpoints
Pre-production checklists for materials, colors, and logistics
Why premium pricing requires premium experience
How great communication increases repeat business and referrals
🔗 Links from This Episode
✨ Free Discovery Call with Scott Lollar
SBTB Ep. 19 | Why Goals, Budgets, and Projections Separate Growing Contractors from Struggling Ones
Most contractors have revenue goals… but very few have a clear plan to reach them.
In this episode, Scott Lollar interviews Rick Holtz, owner of HJ Holtz & Sons Painting and a Consulting4Contractors coach, about the practical process of turning business vision into measurable results.
Rick shares how his company shifted from operating without structured planning to building a culture centered around clear targets, financial visibility, and team accountability.
They discuss how successful companies:
Use historical data to set realistic growth expectations
Align leadership teams around shared goals
Track KPIs consistently throughout the year
Adjust plans when conditions change
Balance financial performance with team wellbeing
Know when to expand services or stay focused on core strengths
Rick also explains how transparency with employees around company performance creates stronger engagement, motivation, and trust — especially when profit sharing or performance incentives are involved.
Key Topics Covered
Why goals without a plan rarely produce results
Using historical data to build realistic projections
Balancing revenue targets with operational capacity
How leadership teams collaborate to set company goals
Why KPIs should go beyond just revenue numbers
Tracking labor efficiency and reducing costly “go-backs”
Creating clarity around team roles and expectations
The importance of communicating company goals to employees
Using visual tracking tools to drive team accountability
How to know when to hire key management roles
Avoiding ego-driven business decisions
SBTB Ep. 18 | Hiring Painters in a Seasonal Business – What Actually Works
Episode 37
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 • Duration 34:57
Hiring is one of the most consistent challenges facing contractors, regardless of company size.
In this episode, Mark Black speaks with Rick Holtz about how successful painting companies approach hiring, onboarding, and training new team members — especially as the busy season approaches.
Rick shares insights from managing a large team of 60+ field employees, including how his company maintains steady staffing throughout the year, how they evaluate potential hires, and why company culture plays such a significant role in retention.
The discussion highlights the three traits Rick believes every successful hire must have: skill (or willingness to learn), dependability, and a positive attitude. Without all three, long-term success becomes difficult for both the employee and the company.
They also explore practical topics such as: • How to handle seasonal hiring fluctuations • How to structure training time without damaging job profitability • The importance of crew leaders embracing their role in developing new hires • The challenges of setting compensation ranges when hiring skilled employees • How company culture influences employee referrals and retention
Whether you're hiring your first employee or your fiftieth, this conversation reinforces that the fundamentals of leadership, culture, and accountability remain the same at every stage of business growth.
Comparing results by salesperson, crew leader, project manager, and subcontractor
Evaluating the real return from marketing lead sources
Using data to diagnose production and personnel problems
Organizing job-cost information inside QuickBooks Online
Using QuickBooks Projects, QuickBooks Time, and QuickBooks Payroll
Building a reliable receipt-management and timekeeping process
Key Takeaways
Revenue does not tell you whether a job was profitable. A contractor must capture every direct project cost before calculating gross profit.
Employee labor costs more than the employee’s hourly wage. Taxes, workers’ compensation, PTO, holidays, health benefits, retirement contributions, and other benefits must be included in the company’s labor burden.
Missing small costs creates inaccurate large decisions. A lost lift receipt, unrecorded dumpster, incomplete timesheet, or subcontractor adjustment can materially change a project’s final margin.
Scott’s target for residential repaint work is approximately 50% gross profit. A result above 45% may be acceptable, while repeatedly falling below 45% can make it difficult to cover overhead and produce a healthy net profit.
Job costing is a diagnostic tool, not merely an accounting exercise. It can reveal estimating errors, production-rate issues, poor crew combinations, unprofitable services, and weak marketing sources.
Data must replace emotion.
A business owner should be able to prove profitability—not simply feel that the company is doing well.
(00:00) - SBTB Ep. 26 | Stop Guessing Your Profit: How to Job Cost Every Project Accurately
(00:05) - Welcome to Success Beyond The Brush
(01:29) - Why Job Costing Matters
(02:49) - What Counts as COGS
(04:41) - Variable Costs Debate
(05:21) - Gross Profit Targets
(06:33) - Residential vs Commercial Margins
(07:03) - Free Profitability Spreadsheet
(08:18) - Marketing ROI by Lead Source
(10:23) - Crew Performance Insights
(11:54) - Systems to Capture Data
(13:08) - Get Your Free Discovery Call With Scott Now
(13:47) - Thanks For Listening To Success Beyond The Brush!
How to create realistic monthly revenue goals around seasonal cycles
How to model future hires before adding them to payroll
How to calculate the complete cost of adding a shop or facility
Why a 1% net profit projection requires immediate changes
The difference between net profit and the owner’s total return on investment
How to compare projected numbers with actual results throughout the year
Why inaccurate QuickBooks data makes meaningful budgeting nearly impossible
Key Takeaways:
Start With Reality
A stretch goal can be useful, but it must still be connected to the company’s historical performance and production capacity. A business that has never produced $400,000 in a month needs a clear operational plan before placing that number in the budget.
Account for Seasonality
Revenue should not automatically be divided evenly across 12 months. Contractors need to consider weather, exterior-production cycles, holidays, residential buying behavior, and other recurring fluctuations.
Separate Direct Costs From Overhead
Cost of goods sold includes the costs required to produce a specific job. General company expenses that support the business throughout the year belong in the operating-expense section.
Model Decisions Before Making Them
A new project manager, salesperson, administrator, or facility affects more than one line item. Budgeting allows the owner to see the complete financial impact before making a commitment.
Review the Budget Throughout the Year
Your budget should be reviewed monthly—and sometimes biweekly—against actual results. This gives the company time to adjust revenue, spending, staffing, or expectations before the year is over.
Final Takeaway
A budget is not simply an accounting requirement. It is a decision-making tool.
When your financial data is organized correctly, you can stop making major decisions based on instinct or the current bank balance. You can determine whether the company can afford its plans, identify problems early, and make deliberate adjustments that protect cash flow and profitability.
Is your QuickBooks file accurate enough to guide important business decisions?
Consulting4Contractors helps contractors organize their financial data, understand what the numbers are actually saying, and turn that information into a practical plan for building a successful and profitable company.
(13:22) - Thanks For Listening To Success Beyond The Brush!
3. Exclusions protect both the contractor and the customer
A vague proposal like “paint living room” or “paint house” creates room for misunderstanding. Clear exclusions help the customer understand what is not included in the price.
4. Change orders do not have to feel confrontational
Instead of saying, “That’s not in the contract,” crews can be trained to say something like, “We’d be glad to take care of that for you. Let me get you a price so you can decide how you’d like to move forward.”
5. T&M work still needs expectations
Time-and-material work can be useful, but customers often misunderstand what they are approving. Giving a range of expected hours and material costs helps prevent surprise invoices and sour endings to otherwise successful projects.
6. Great customer service does not mean giving away profit
Small value-adds can be part of a great customer experience, but contractors need to know the difference between going the extra mile and giving away hours, materials, repairs, or coats that were never included in the price.
🎙️ Hosts: Scott Lollar — Founder, Consulting4Contractors Mark Black — Owner, Men In White Painting, Mt. Vernon, IL
🎵 Production: Siren Mastering — Original music, artwork, transcripts, show notes & audio engineering https://www.sirenmastering.com
(00:00) - Nice Guy Profit Trap
(00:37) - Welcome to Success Beyond The Brush
(02:10) - Mold Surprise Story
(05:11) - Unforeseen Clauses and Options
(08:24) - Defining Scope Creep
(09:55) - Crystal Clear Proposals
(13:49) - Photos and Exclusions
(15:24) - A Taste of Coaching Offer - Limited Time!
(16:13) - Contractor Psychology
(19:13) - Word Tracks for Upsells
(21:05) - Quality Expectations and Check Ins
(25:13) - Change Orders and T&M Risks
(28:02) - Clear Is Kind Wrap Up
(30:22) - Add Value Without Giving Away
(31:53) - Thanks for listening to Success Beyond The Brush!
How to find and develop relationships with good builders and remodelers
How to vet a new general contractor before agreeing to bid
Why jobsite cleanliness and organization reveal a lot about a GC
The importance of clear inclusions, exclusions, and drawing dates
How scope creep happens when teams get caught up in jobsite momentum
Why touch-up work can become one of the biggest gray areas
How to train field teams to stop and request approval for extra work
Why GC projects require the right project manager and the right onsite lead
How to support younger crew leaders so they are not left on an island
How to break large projects into smaller, manageable sections
How to handle accelerated schedules and overtime requests
Why cash flow planning is critical when doing GC work
Why painting contractors should discuss payment terms before accepting the job
Key Takeaway
Working with general contractors can be profitable, but only if painting contractors approach it intentionally. The right GC relationships can create steady work, open doors in valuable markets, and support year-round employment. But contractors need strong estimating, clear scope language, trained field leaders, active project management, and disciplined cash flow practices to make it work.
GC work is not something to jump into blindly. Start small, vet carefully, set expectations early, and protect your company before the first crew ever arrives on site.
🎙️ Hosts: Scott Lollar — Founder, Consulting 4 Contractors Mark Black — Owner, Men In White Painting, Mt. Vernon, IL
🎵 Production: Siren Mastering — Original music, artwork, transcripts, show notes & audio engineering https://www.sirenmastering.com
(00:00) - Hunter Handoff and Brand Promise
(01:01) - Welcome To Success Beyond The Brush
(01:49) - Defining Pre Production Wasteland
(03:02) - Wait Times and Lost Clients
(05:55) - Psychology of Silence
(08:27) - Communication and Time Respect
(10:17) - Restaurant Waitlist Analogy
(13:09) - Fear Reduction and Liaison Role
(15:35) - Automation and Pre Production Systems
(18:58) - Set Expectations Early
(19:23) - Stay In Touch While Waiting
(19:50) - Painter Story Communication Gap
(20:45) - Midshow Break
(22:16) - Pre Production Email Template
(24:55) - Scope Colors Materials Prep
(27:48) - Avoid Last Minute Scramble
(29:44) - Day One Walkthrough Handoff
(34:56) - White Glove Service Mindset
(36:09) - Thanks For Listening to Success Beyond The Brush!
Working the plan instead of constantly chasing new ideas
Whether you’re trying to scale past your current revenue plateau or simply want more control over your business results, this episode provides a practical framework for creating intentional growth.
